United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Bullhead, South Dakota man, Alexander Oka, 27, was convicted by a federal jury for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender and for Tampering with a Victim. The jury returned the verdict on Feb. 23, 2018.
According to court documents and evidence produced at trial, on July 5, 2017, Oka unlawfully committed a domestic assault upon the victim, when at the time of the domestic assault, Oka had a final conviction on at least two separate prior occasions, for offenses that would have been, if subject to federal jurisdiction, an assault against a spouse and intimate partner.
During this assault, Oka smacked the victim’s head, and then kicked the victim in the back while she was not looking, and while she was feeding the baby she shares with Oka. The kick caused the victim significant pain. After being arrested for the assault, Oka sent a letter from jail to the victim instructing her not to cooperate and not to show-up for court proceedings. Oka had been previously convicted in multiple cases of domestic abuse. These prior convictions took place in tribal and federal court.
The maximum penalty for Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender is up to five years of imprisonment, and the maximum penalty for Tampering with a Victim is up to twenty years of imprisonment. Each conviction also carries a maximum $250,000 fine and/or imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.
Oka was ordered detained pending sentencing. A sentencing date has been tentatively set for May 14, 2018, in Pierre.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
